A young man identifying himself as Carter Pope claims to have shot and killed what he believes was a chupacabra in Texas. How did he know it was the legendary monster? Apparently, it was hairless and had "shriveled up" back legs. Good going, Pope — you probably killed an old, injured dog.

Pope is eagerly awaiting confirmation of his historic chupacabra find through DNA analysis of tissues his father sent to a lab. If history is any guide, the chupacabra - which means "goat sucker" in Spanish and is named for its reputed habit of sucking the blood out of small animals, including goats and chickens - will soon be revealed as a known member of the canid family, a group that includes dogs, coyotes and foxes. (The creature Pope shot was not seen, nor suspected of, sucking blood out of anything; it was merely walking across a field.)

For future reference, people — if you see a creature you think might be a cryptid, don't kill it. Trapping it is much better. That way, the chupacabra's blood-sucking family won't come after you in the dead of night.